Larkin grad Shaw headed to St. Bonaventure

Jalen Shaw on Monday announced his commitment to play basketball at St. Bonaventure, concluding an unorthodox recruitment.

The 6-foot-10 former Larkin High School and Triton College center was unable to take an official visit to St. Bonaventure's Olean, N.Y., campus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Nor could he visit other schools that made offers, like Evansville, Ball State, Southeast Missouri State, San Jose State and Florida International.

Shaw's contact with the St. Bonaventure coaching staff has been virtual: group chats and Zoom meetings.

"It was very difficult to choose where I wanted to go because I haven't been able to visit anywhere," Shaw said, "but we did a group chat and I loved what they were telling me. They can't go inside their facilities right now, but they basically showed me different aspects of the school and different things that they do, how they work.

"People were telling me it's a good school. My coaches told me I'd be a perfect fit there, so I did some research."

Triton's season concluded before the world came to a standstill. Shaw averaged 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for a team that finished 26-7. He shot 66% from the field, made 26 steals and blocked 65 shots in 28 games. He recorded four double-doubles.

Shaw averaged 16.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in his senior season at Larkin. He helped the Royals advance to the state finals for the first time in program history.

He has since added 30 pounds to his frame via CrossFit training. He credits Triton coach Steve Christiansen for helping him transform physically.

"Coach Steve got my body right, my conditioning right," Shaw said. "That's why I was able to run up and down the court very fast as a big guy. Going Juco was good for me. You definitely form a brotherhood and you get close to a lot of people."

Shaw said he is eager to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference for a team that finished 19-12 overall this season, 11-7 in league play.

"I feel I can be someone at St. Bonnie's," he said. "I think it's the perfect fit for me."